Kaja Draksler Octet
Kaja Draksler – piano, composition
Laura Polence, Björk Níelsdóttir – voice
Ada Rave, Ab Baars – reeds
George Dumitriu – violin & viola
Lennart Heyndels – double bass
Onno Govaert – drums
BIOGRAPHY
The central project of the Slovenian pianist and composer Kaja Draksler brings together a colourful group of eight international musicians, all based in Amsterdam. The group has so far released two highly acclaimed albums, both on Clean Feed. The first set of compositions was collected on the double album “Gledalec” in 2017, their second recording, “Out for Stars”, written on the poetry of Robert Frost, was released 2020. In 2021, the Octet premiered “In Time”, a new set of music with texts by Matsuo Basho. The pieces were commissioned by KAAP, Amok Festival and Concertgebouw Brugge.
Draksler combines composition and improvisation, drawing from a variety of styles, places and historical periods, here inspired by the large array of possibilities and talents of the ensemble. This group is Draksler’s attempt to realise some of the thoughts on music collected during her years of jazz and classical composition studies, as well as her experiences as an active improviser.